In December of 2012, the tragedies at Newtown and Webster resulted in the federal, state and local governments enacting, or attempting to enact, tougher gun control laws.

The idea was that, after these shocking incidents, such legislation would make us feel safer.

Only they haven’t.

While I feel that it seems incredibly stupid that private individuals have been allowed to acquire and amass assault weapons ( who are they afraid we are going to be invaded by, the Grand Duchy of Fenwick? ), enacting legislation that will not protect us from anyone seems equally stupid.

Such laws merely ticked off law abiding citizens who legally own guns, and justly gave them cause to complain about the unconstitutionality of such legislation.

Criminals, who by their very nature break the law, pay it no heed whatsoever. It can’t be enforced against them.

It is apparent that government is enacting legislation mere for the purpose of enacting legislation, even if it is unenforceable.

Warm weather always brings an upsurge in violence in Rochester, which is infamous for its violent propensities. That reputation is NOT good for business.

Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard continually seeks to assure us that we live in a safe city, safer, at least, since he has been at the helm.

Yet, in the last two weeks, there have been numerous shootings and stabbings in our fair city. Who are we supposed to believe, Sheppard or the blood on the streets and the bullet holes in corpses and houses?

It is bad enough when people with axes to grind resort to violence of one sort or another against their fellow human beings. But, last week, shooters riddled a house with bullets where a graduation party was underway. Three people were seriously wounded, and one young woman was killed.

Where is the popular outrage?

Perhaps it is being tempered by the fact that most of these outrages take place in the poorer patches of Rochester sardonically referred to as the “Fatal Crescent.”

A more vulgar way of looking at it is that it merely happened in the ghetto.

There were fights late yesterday afternoon at the Lilac Festival in Highland Park. There has been very spotty news reporting on THAT subject, probably because the festival draws in people from all over the nation, and it would simply NOT do to draw too much attention to it.

During the summer, fights occur regularly at Durand Eastman Park and Ontario State Park in Charlotte, which tick off the neighbors and are generally not noticed outside of our local area.

Which means that, no matter what, there are some morons who lose control and spoil what could be pleasant outings for everyone else there.

Last night, within a mile of Highland Park, there was a triple stabbing in the up and coming South Wedge neighborhood, which has been a subject of envy among many neighborhoods “in transition” ( i.e., decay ) in Rochester.

Despite the state’s anti-gun legislation, crimes can occur where they are NOT supposed to. And there are no anti-knife laws, which would be equally unenforceable.

So, what to do?

Well, the pro-gun people have been asking for years to be allowed to carry their pistols into public places and parks. But having legally-licensed gun-toting civilians waving their pieces around doesn’t seem quite the way to go.

Banning all guns? Does anybody think that criminals will pay attention to that?

We could have more policemen walking the beat in our neighborhoods, but it would be too expensive to hire more. We already have a larger police force than does Buffalo, New York, which has a larger population, yet a lower homicide rate. Yet some neighborhoods object to having a greater police presence there, claiming that they are being “singled out,” while other neighborhoods that feel threatened feel they are being ignored.

People want the police to stop people who look “suspicious,” whatever that is supposed to mean. It sounds remarkably like “profiling.” And the cops know about the dealers in our famous “open air drug marts,” and haven’t even made a dent in the war on drugs, anyway.

You can thank the courts for that.

Rochester’s City Council could enact curfew legislation, to keep everyone off of the streets after dark, but that would kill our bars, nightclubs, restaurants and theatres without making us any safer.

And, besides, the fights in our parks break out during broad daylight!

Being told not to put ourselves at risk is hardly helpful advice, unless we are supposed to scurry out from our safe homes to work and buy food and then to scurry back again.

So, again I ask, what to do?

Carry a cell phone and be ready to call 911 whenever we see a crime being committed. Travel in groups. Demand that judges enforce justice to the fullest extent of the law. Demand that Police Chief Sheppard be honest about the crimes in our city. All of them. And that goes for the local news media as well.

We know the police can’t stop crime, they can merely respond to it.

And we, the citizens? We can make criminals as uncomfortable as possible, rather than be held hostage to our fears or moving out of Rochester.

Let’s face it, the groundhog goofed. And the human weather forecasters were correct.

Instead of an early spring, some places in the Rochester area got anywhere from 10 to 18 inches of snow between yesterday and this morning, making for dangerous driving conditions.

Those of us who have grown up in Rochester, or lived here any length of time, know that such winter storms are a usual occurrence here.

Nobody should blame the poor marmots for the continuation of winter. They were roused from their sleep by nosey news people, so that the human race could know if the groundhog “saw his shadow” or not. This winter storm was probably their way of saying “Gotcha!”

And groundhogs don’t claim to be meteorologists, anyway.

By now, most people have gotten their driveways shoveled out. If the city and county snow removal crews follow suit and clear our roads, the weather forecasters are predicting warmer temperatures and blue skies for Sunday, February 10 ( tomorrow ).

Which also coincides with the annual “Polar Bear Plunge” in Charlotte! Some 1,500 people will dive into Lake Ontario’s frigid waters! Though the human “polar bears” are expected to arrive at 9 AM, the “Plunge” won’t take place until noon.

The “Polar Bear Plunge” is held in cooperation with the Lakeside Winter Celebration at Ontario Beach Park. The “Plunge” itself is a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, and the other events run until 4 PM.

Special Olympics New York provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of skills and friendship with their families, Special Olympics athletes and the community. Through their participation, athletes gain confidence and build a positive self-image, which carries into the classroom, the home, the workplace and the community. Today, it serves 51,809 athletes, making Special Olympics New York the largest program in the United States and the sixth largest program in the world.

There will also be contests for ice sculptures and the Chilly Chili Challenge, as well as sleigh rides and more!

Hmmm. Perhaps it snowed for a good reason, after all!

So, if you have no plans for tomorrow, you might consider bundling up, driving up to Charlotte and having a good time. And contribute to a good cause, the Special Olympics!

The “polar bears” will be seeking sponsors, so please give generously.

May in Rochester is the beginning of our “Festival Season.” If you have nothing to do tomorrow ( Sunday, May 6 ), you might consider taking a drive to Ontario Beach Park and go fly a kite.

Yep, it’s Charlotte’s annual “Kite Flight!” The event will take place at the Roger Robach Center, on the shore of Lake Ontario. The weather, while it will be a bit cool at the lake, should be good for the flying of kites. The lake breezes should help keeping them aloft.

It starts at 11 AM, with kite experts offering tips and demonstrating techniques on the fine art of kite flying. Perhaps Charlie Brown, of “Peanuts” fame, will be there to take advantage of their expertise. Lord knows that over the last 60 years, the poor boy could use some helpful advice!

At noon, we mere mortals will be allowed to show our stuff. Hopefully, there won’t be any kite-eating trees in near proximity to spoil the fun. Or flocks of seagulls mistaking the kites as snacks!

For people who aren’t kite-flying aficionados, there will be other forms of entertainment as well!

At 1 PM there will be jugglers and acrobats ( and politicians; it IS an election year, after all, and they ARE related fields ).

For those of us who simply cannot go to the beach without eating hot dogs, the Charlotte Community Association will also have a refreshment stand at the event. This is a fundraiser for CCA scholarships, so pigging out goes for a good cause!

So on Sunday, May 6, if you have nothing to do and a few hours to do it in, head up to Charlotte. Like the final song in “Mary Poppins” goes: “Let’s go fly a kite!”

Contributors

Click on a blogger to see just their posts.

Rich Gardner has been writing about the history, culture and waterways of Upstate New York for years. His articles have appeared in U.S. and Canadian publications, and one book, Learning to Walk. He is an alumnus of Brighton High School and SUNY Geneseo. He operates Upstate Resume & Writing Service in Brighton and recently moved to Corn Hill, where he is already involved in community projects. "I enjoy the 'Aha!' moments of learning new things, conceptual and literal. City living is a great teacher."

Ken Warner grew up in Brockport and first experienced Rochester as a messenger boy for a law firm in Midtown Tower. He recently moved downtown into a loft on the 13th floor of the Temple Building with a view of the Liberty Poll and works in the Powers Building overlooking Rochester’s four corners as Executive Director for UNICON, an organization devoted to bringing economic development to the community. He hopes to use his Rochester Blog to share his observations from these unique views of downtown.